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Abstract

Objective: A movie on malariotherapy for neurosyphilis made at Mont Park and filmed by Reg Ellery in 1926 is believed to be the oldest surviving movie of psychiatric treatment in Australia. The objective is to review the movie and discuss the background and context of the film, which shows the conditions of patients in a psychiatric hospital in the 1920s. Conclusion: Movie film is a guide to a psychiatric past that is rapidly being forgotten. The Ellery movie is an incentive to collect surviving footage before it is too late.